“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness : ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Salvation is not an external blessing which we have caused and that we can be stripped of, but is an internal God-given gift that can never be taken away.

1. Satan’s Job—To accuse God’s people in the Divine Council as the loyal opposition who acts subservient to the LORD. Martin Luther writes: “Satan is God’s Satan.”

2. Satan’s Accusation—Satan presumes Job’s fear of God is tied to God’s blessing and protection of Job, the lack of which would provoke Job to lose his fear of God.

3. God’s Good Government—Since Job’s faith comes from God, Satan’s God-allowed test of Job is equally a test of God’s government of his creatures. In trial don’t claim God doesn’t love you. If Job’s faith was found true, so will that of God’s people.

Jesus Christ’s work as our Mediator serves as God’s “grace-colored glasses”—when the Father looks at us, he sees the righteousness of his Son.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And

‘If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?’

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

On Sunday, November 6, 2016, Rev. Joe Troutman preached “The King Fisher” from John 21:1-6, 8-11.

As a net draws fish from the sea, so God uses the proclamation of the gospel to draw sinners to Jesus Christ.

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ—All revelation brings glory to God’s name and sinners to repentance.

2. Cast the Net—The church is to cast the net as her Lord commands, and totrust him for the results.

3. Feeding His Sheep—God has chosen to use the church as the ordinary means by which he calls sinners to faith. The faith of the church is built up by the preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments.